This country needs to join forces to relaunch its fabric of small and medium-sized service businesses that have been shattered by Covid. Because they are a supporting productive structure, but not only this. The fact that they have a fundamental social role, as emerged in a strong way precisely during the pandemic. Neighborhood businesses are also those that distinguish us in the eyes of the tourists who visit our cities, attracted precisely by the uniqueness of our commercial and artisan activities. The president of Confesercenti Patrizia De Luise strongly supported the cause of small services.
That is fine. But can we continue to give help and support to everyone? A Cerved analysis says that there are 17,000 SMEs in financial difficulty. But of these 4,500 carry out activities that no longer have a market. We are rebuilding the country with the help of the NRP. We must ask ourselves what Italy we want for the future. Certain sectors with particular potential and social value deserve an extraordinary effort. Tourism in the lead. Let me be clear: we do not want props to do charity to companies but interventions to allow them to stay on the market.
The productivity levels of our tourism and service businesses are particularly low. Let’s raise them with a concerted action through the State, Regions and representative associations like ours that can play an important role. I am also thinking, for example, of a targeted training action for small entrepreneurs, for example on digitization, but not only. And then for those who want to start their own business. Let us not forget that in the last year 75,000 new businesses have been missing. Denatality also concerns new activities, and we need to intervene on this.
In the draft law on competition, the government limited itself to arranging a survey on bathing concessions. Shouldn’t concessions be given to the highest bidder? I believe the government bill is balanced. The mapping is important because it will lead us to have a picture of large plants and small ones. We must start from the existing. We take into account that there are families who make a living from these activities. If I take away from these entrepreneurs the security of continuing to have their business, I am going to reduce the propensity to invest in the business itself. Certainties are needed.
In the budget law there are 8 billion to reduce taxes. But to whom? And how to make the decline? We hope for an intervention on the personal income tax rates, in particular for the reduction of the 38% bracket. It is then necessary to intervene on the tax wedge.
For the benefit of businesses or workers? In what proportions? In Confindustria someone talks about a fifty fifty, what do you think? Fifties and fifties might also make sense because companies would pour these savings into their business by generating new jobs.
Reduce IRAP? Not the street. It benefits large companies too much over small ones.
Are you worried about the possibility of having to close in the fourth wave? We cannot afford new closures. For the country even before our activities.